Amidst the vast expanse of the sea, hundreds of Leviathans, thick as clouds, encircled the Wumu boat. Stared down by so many Leviathans, even Teng Qingshan felt a knot tighten in his stomach!
Teng Qingshan frowned.
“Ask it what it wants!” Teng Qingshan commanded.
Teng Qingshan could see that these hundreds of Leviathans surrounding his Wumu boat were refraining from their most devastating attacks; they must have an objective. Otherwise, these hundreds of beasts could likely obliterate the Wumu boat in an instant.
“Understood.” Li Jun immediately turned back, standing at the bow, and roared a series of challenges toward the Leviathan King in the distance.
When the Leviathan King heard Li Jun’s summons, its wheel-sized eyes fixed upon Teng Qingshan, emanating an air of supreme condescension. It then let out its own bellow: “Roar~~ Roar~~” The rising and falling sound was utterly incomprehensible to Teng Qingshan.
He could only turn to Li Jun, who stood at his side.
As Li Jun listened, her expression darkened.
“Roar~~~”
The surrounding sea echoed with the terrifying roars of countless Leviathans, seemingly responding to their sovereign! Every single Leviathan was no smaller than the Wumu boat, so their natural volume was immense. When hundreds roared in unison, it sounded like a thousand simultaneous thunderclaps, reverberating across the heavens and earth.
Teng Qingshan’s heart quickened; this situation looked unfavorable!
“What is it saying?” Teng Qingshan pressed.
Li Jun’s face showed anxiety. She quickly relayed, “Brother Teng, the Leviathan King says you disturbed its cultivation at the bottom of the lake last night. And you injured it! This is a capital offense! Today, it has brought its entire clan to pass judgment on you.”
Judgment?
“Nonsense!”
Teng Qingshan’s gaze turned frigid. He fixed his stare on the Leviathan King and growled, “Xiao Jun, tell it this! Yesterday, I wielded a mere stick as my weapon. But today, I hold a Divine Spear! This is an incredibly potent divine weapon… If I had this weapon yesterday, this Leviathan King would already be dead! Tell it!”
Li Jun started, momentarily stunned.
A direct confrontation?
“Isn’t that a bit excessive? What if it angers the Leviathan King? After all, it is the ruler of an entire Leviathan clan,” Li Jun voiced her concern.
“Don't worry.” Teng Qingshan gazed out at the Leviathan King. “A creature that achieves the Xiantian Golden Core stage and rules a clan possesses high intelligence. It is not one of those foolish, easily maddened beasts. Just tell it!”
Li Jun hesitated slightly but ultimately trusted Teng Qingshan.
After a brief deliberation, Li Jun projected a series of roars toward the Leviathan King. Her phrasing was far more measured than Teng Qingshan’s, yet the implied meaning was clear—we are not easy targets either; pushing this too far will harm us all!
Li Jun’s roar had barely finished when suddenly—
“Roar~~~”
A roar of incandescent fury ripped across the sky from the Leviathan King. Its massive golden eyes blazed with rage, looking as though it might snap. Instantly, the hundreds of Leviathans surrounding the Wumu boat began to howl madly.
“Whoosh~~~” The seawater itself churned and convulsed wildly.
The Wumu boat pitched violently, and Li Jun struggled to stay upright, grasping the railing.
“Brother Teng, this creature has gone mad,” Li Jun exclaimed anxiously.
Teng Qingshan frowned. “How can it lose its temper so easily? If its intelligence rivals that of humans, it shouldn’t be this simplistic.” Teng Qingshan remained composed, but the Leviathan King currently seemed to have its pride grievously wounded and was intensely furious.
“Roar~~” The Leviathan King issued another low growl, fixing its gaze intently on Teng Qingshan.
As soon as this growl sounded, the hundreds of massive Leviathans hovering in the surrounding waters began to stream with arcs of cyan electrical energy. For a moment, the water reflected a pale, luminous blue. The area immediately surrounding the Wumu boat had transformed into a domain of cyan lightning!
“Not good!” Li Jun looked urgently toward the Leviathan King and let out a series of sharp roars.
Teng Qingshan, however, kept his expression grim. He reached out to shield Li Jun, poised for immediate evasion or retreat, while keeping his eyes locked on the Leviathan King.
For a stretch of time—
The colossal Leviathan King and Teng Qingshan faced each other across a distance of nearly a hundred zhang, staring intently.
“Roar~~~” The Leviathan King emitted a deep, satisfying roar. Instantly, the electrical currents on the surface of the surrounding Leviathans receded back into their bodies. Every single Leviathan fixed its enormous, cold, pitch-black eye upon the Wumu boat.
The Leviathan King sent another string of low growls toward Li Jun, who responded in kind. Moments later, Li Jun turned back to Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan felt a fire burn in his gut; to be cornered by a pack of demonic beasts!
But he had to endure it!
First, for Li Jun’s safety, and second, for the Wumu boat’s security. Teng Qingshan had no desire to paddle tens of thousands of li alone across the boundless ocean. Although, if Teng Qingshan possessed sufficient willpower, he wouldn't mind the arduous tedium and exhaustion of making the journey on foot.
However, consider his previous life on Earth: did anyone circumnavigate the globe on foot? Forget the globe, traveling tens of thousands of li on foot would be an exceedingly rare feat, something undertaken purely to challenge oneself.
Swimming tens of thousands of li in the sea—Teng Qingshan had the ability, but he wouldn't choose to do it that way.
On the Wumu boat, unfurling the sails and drifting north was so much more comfortable.
“What did it say?” Teng Qingshan asked.
“Brother Teng!” Li Jun’s face showed a flicker of worry. “The Leviathan King just said that if it gave the order, hundreds of Leviathans unleashing their lightning simultaneously would, even if it didn't kill you, leave you severely wounded. Hundreds of Leviathans in the sea could easily dispatch you!”
Teng Qingshan’s expression darkened.
“Don’t worry, it’s not as simple as it thinks. A single Leviathan is like a great ship! They are so massive, and I am so small. How can they encircle and attack me?” Teng Qingshan was not concerned about that aspect. “Ask it what condition it requires for us to depart safely!”
Teng Qingshan didn't believe this Leviathan pod had come solely to deal with him.
If they intended to kill him, the Leviathan clan would suffer significant losses. Would a clan leader be so foolish? Though, one couldn't be entirely sure; he was human, and the Leviathan King was a Leviathan, so their thought processes might fundamentally differ.
“Roar~~ Roar~~” Li Jun stood at the bow, projecting a series of roars toward the Leviathan King in the sea.
Fortunately, she was an expert in Neijin; otherwise, shouting from such a distance would likely leave her head spinning.
“It’s fortunate I brought Xiao Jun,” Teng Qingshan thought as he watched Li Jun exert herself. A sudden notion struck him: “If I were alone out here, facing demonic beasts in the vast Northern Sea, we would likely be forced into mutual slaughter! Beasts and humans often fight because they cannot communicate! If they could understand each other’s thoughts and demands, much of the conflict could be avoided!”
Bringing Xiao Jun along might prove more useful in the sprawling Northern Sea than even a Xiantian Golden Core expert!
A girl, communicating with a colossal demonic beast through their shared language of roars.
Teng Qingshan observed, “The Leviathan King’s demeanor seems much better now.”
Though he couldn't understand the words, Teng Qingshan could discern certain things from the emotions conveyed in the Leviathan King’s eyes and roars.
Moments passed—
“Hah.” Li Jun finally took a breath and turned back to Teng Qingshan, a slight smile appearing on her face. “Brother Teng, the Leviathan King just said that it genuinely intended to teach you a lesson. It planned to blast your Wumu boat to pieces, have the Leviathans bombard you with lightning, kill you if possible, or at least teach you a lesson to vent its frustration!”
Teng Qingshan felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
If he had been out at sea alone, unable to communicate with the Leviathan King, this creature would have put on a show, followed by a barrage of lightning from its pack. Whether he would have died was uncertain, but the Wumu boat would certainly be destroyed.
After a furious lashing, it would have left in triumph.
In the sea... even if Teng Qingshan transformed into a fish, he might catch up to an ordinary Leviathan. But against the Leviathan King, the speed difference was considerable. Teng Qingshan had witnessed the King’s terrifying swiftness just last night.
Regardless, his fish form relied on Xiantian True Essence, which was too crude and simplistic. It couldn't match the ingenious structure of a Leviathan’s body.
“Did it mention conditions?” Teng Qingshan inquired.
“It said it needs time to think, and it will inform me later!” Li Jun replied with resignation.
Teng Qingshan was momentarily taken aback, then managed a wry smile. “Xiao Jun, the Leviathan King never anticipated that we would have a human fluent in beast language with us. So, it never prepared any requests for us. But now, it likely won't let us go easily without setting some terms.”
“Yes, we can only wait for it to name its price,” Li Jun agreed, sounding helpless.
The sea breeze blew, and the morning sun bathed the ocean surface. The Leviathans remained placidly surrounding them.
Teng Qingshan stood at the bow, observing the Leviathans, compelled to wait. The current situation was clearly one where he was at a disadvantage! Of course, his potential burst power when combining with the Reincarnation Spear gave the Leviathan King pause for serious consideration.
Moments later—
“Roar~~” The Leviathan King issued a series of roars.
The hundreds of previously calm Leviathans became agitated, letting out confused, low cries.
Li Jun listened intently, occasionally responding with a call of her own.
“What are the terms?” Teng Qingshan asked immediately after Li Jun finished her exchange with the Leviathan King. Li Jun turned with a bright smile. “Brother Teng, the Leviathan King said... it actually has a very important task it needs us to complete! However, this task will take quite a bit of time; just sailing there might require ten days to half a month. Of course, during the journey, it will order a Leviathan to attach a rope to our Wumu boat and tow us along. The speed will be fast. Even so, it will take at least ten days.”
Teng Qingshan frowned; he disliked wasting time on travel.
“Where is it?” Teng Qingshan asked.
“It’s on a mysterious island in the northwest direction.” The moment Li Jun spoke, a smile spread across Teng Qingshan’s face.
Northwest direction?
Teng Qingshan didn't know the precise coordinates of the Northern Sea Continent. He only knew that drifting north, due to monsoon winds and unpredictable sea conditions, the boat wouldn't travel exactly due north, usually veering northwest, northeast, or slightly north.
After all, the Northern Sea Continent was vast. Reaching the continent was the main goal.
“An island to the northwest?” Teng Qingshan chuckled. “It seems we won't waste time after all. With a Leviathan towing the Wumu boat, we might actually move faster. Well, if I can handle the difficulty, I’ll accept the task.”
Li Jun smiled brilliantly and added mysteriously, “The Leviathan King also said that if Brother Teng agrees to undertake this task, it will prepare a gift!”